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Neglected Customers Vote With Their Feet - January 20, 2007
At a business function a while back, I met Jeremy, a young sales rep for a large technology firm who shared a personal anecdote.
"I leased a new car three years ago," he told me. "After I signed the deal, the car manufacturer mailed me a survey to fill out, which I did."
What he said next took me by surprise: "In the three years that I've driven the car, neither the salesperson nor the dealership bothered to contact me even once."
When Jeremy's lease expired, he returned the car to the dealership and walked away. He had no intention of returning.
The sales manager called him a few days later, wanting to know why he wasn't going to lease another car from them. Jeremy told the truth: The salesperson ? hence, the dealership ? had taken Jeremy's business for granted.
Should the salesperson have followed up with Jeremy during the term of the lease?
Yes and no. Phone calls or other follow-ups are often certainly appreciated, but not in all cases. I know of many situations where customers ask not to be contacted after a sale. It's enough for them to know that a dealership is prepared to look after any service needs or car-related issues.
We have customers who contact our salespeople every three or four years when it's time to buy a new car. That's enough contact for them.
Conversely, other customers like to be contacted every so often. Each client is different; good salespeople will know how often to contact their customers.
The store was fortunate enough to get an honest reply from Jeremy as to why he had walked away. In many instances, when customers are upset, they simply take their business elsewhere.
I encourage customers to speak up about problems for a couple of reasons:
* There's a good chance an issue can be resolved quickly. Problems often boil down to misunderstandings.
* Dealerships depend on customer feedback to improve their products and services. Dealers and manufacturers invest a lot of money trying to find out what their customers really think about them.
When customers have a legitimate complaint, most dealerships will do their best to solve it. This applies to everything from new and used sales to parts and service.
Can every dispute be settled to the customer's satisfaction? No. Occasionally a dispute can only be put to rest with the assistance of a third party. But that's another column.
I can tell you that it always stings to receive criticism or negative feedback about our dealership. But I also realize that feedback ? good and bad ? is integral to our continued success. Without it, how can we measure our performance? How can we keep our customers happy?
Fortunately, Jeremy's story has a happy postscript. It seems the salesperson called to apologize for taking his business for granted. If he gave the dealership another chance to prove how much it valued his business, he would not be disappointed, the rep promised.
Jeremy appreciated the call and sensed the genuine feeling behind it. The salesperson picked him up at his house and drove him to the dealership to discuss a new lease arrangement.
I have no doubt that Jeremy will receive a follow-up call from the salesperson before the year is out.
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